Living the thrill

Silvain Courchaine x Nissan Pathfinder

Sylvain Courchaine x Nissan Pathfinder

For Sylvain Courchaine Nissan has become a family affair. His parents, in-laws and girlfriend, Victoria, all own Nissans. When it came time to trading in his older pickup truck for a new vehicle, another member of the family was part of the decision – at least, indirectly.

“I didn't necessarily need the truck, and the price of fuel was getting a little crazy, so I decided it's probably time we started looking at something else,” says Sylvain. “I kind of hemmed and hawed on it. But then we got our puppy, Cash. He’s now 10 months old, and he's already 120 pounds. At eight months old, I was having a hard time lifting him into my truck.

“He's a Cane Corso, they're predisposed to joint issues. So as a puppy I couldn't let him jump in and out of the truck. So yeah, that was part of the reason for the Pathfinder.”
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As an avid outdoorsman, sportsman and part-time photographer, Sylvain also needed something that could handle rough cottage roads and some mild off-roading. One particular model caught his eye immediately.
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“The second I saw that Rock Creek model announced, I was like, that looks nice,” he gushes. “That's impressive”.
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“Our family has a cottage up on the Quebec side. And I go up to Northern Ontario sometimes, and I travel to go fishing. So, the remote areas that I do, you have to get through rough roads, dirt roads. This Rock Creek is ideal.”
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It’s fair to say that Sylvain has fallen in love with the Pathfinder; he’s even managed to put it through its off-road paces a few times, through the mud and snow. But there was one more reason that Sylvain picked the Pathfinder, and it involves family again; this time, a future family.

“We're talking about having kids. So having the dog and a kid in the backseat of a full-size pickup, that's not going to happen. I wanted a full-size SUV. When I saw the Rock Creek, I'm like, this is right up my alley. The Pathfinder is the perfect size.”

Victoria will also be upgrading soon, from her five-year-old Kicks to the more family friendly, larger SUV: the Rogue. “Number one reason for the Rogue, the dog is starting to have a hard time fitting in the back of her car,” says Sylvain. “And then, of course, if we're having kids, having the extra space will be nice. And that was the initial plan with the Pathfinder being that it has the third-row seats. We’ll have room for the entire family.”
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Obviously, Nissan has a special place in Sylvain’s entire family. But what if he didn’t have to think of any other factors: money, family, etc.? What would he want for himself?

“There are two vehicles that I would love. A GT-R would be phenomenal. Even an older Skyline, I am still in awe at the amount of power that can be made on a fairly stock powerplant. The rarity of them, it's such a niche market.

“And a Nissan Patrol. We don't have them here, but the Patrol would be my vehicle because I'm an off-road guy. It would be a fantastic vehicle to have here.”
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His dream vehicles may go from one extreme to another, but Sylvain’s Nissan Pathfinder finds the perfect balance for his real-world family adventures.

That was eight years ago.

And to most people, Lexi, a dental hygienist in Kelowna, BC, may not be your typical Skyline owner, nor is she someone most people would think turns her own wrenches and keeps her classic Nissan supercar in order. But she is indeed, and she comes across it honestly, as her love of cars runs in the family.

“When I was younger, my dad always had classic American muscle cars that he would build and work on. So I was exposed to a lot of that when I was younger. And I think I just really became more interested in it over time.

“And then when I got my first car and something would break on it, I'd be really interested in helping my dad fix it or learn more about the vehicle.”

As Lexi got older, her knowledge of cars opened up beyond the North American market. “A buddy of mine actually had a Skyline in high school. And I just remember it was like the coolest thing I'd ever seen. It was right-hand drive, and it actually spit flames out the exhaust. I was like, oh my god, this is so cool. And so after high school, I imported my own Skyline from Japan. And the rest is history.” A brief conversation with her will confirm to anyone that she knows her car. She talks about how she had to solve the engine gremlins that were plaguing her Skyline when she picked it up, and then goes on to describe upgrading the fuel pump and fuel regulator, adding an external turbocharger waste gate and changing the clutch, among other jobs. But she’s not done yet.

“I like to call it my permanent project car because I'm always doing something on it,” she says. I'm always kind of, you know, messing with it. I have a YouTube channel so I'm always filming stuff and doing small upgrades here and there. And I want to pull the engine this summer and do a bunch of stuff. So it is drivable, when it's together. But there'll be periods throughout the summer when it's in pieces, and I'm just filming something or upgrading something.”

The Skyline obviously attracts plenty of interest from auto enthusiasts wherever she goes. But Lexi has had to deal with another type of reaction throughout her life when it comes to her automotive interests. Playing in a traditionally male-dominated field – and even owning her own classic supercar – has brought some unwanted backlash.

“Before I was a dental hygienist, I actually went to school to be an electrician. I know, cars and the electrician thing are both very male dominated. So I've kind of been dealing with the fact that I'm a woman in those areas for a long time and dealt with the issues that come up with that.

“Even to this day, driving my car around, I often have men say to me, ‘Oh, is that your boyfriend's car?’ It's more believable for it to be owned by a male in my family rather than it be mine. So I have no problem telling people, ‘No, actually, it's mine’. And it’s not about putting people in their place, but just standing up for myself.

“But I actually like being an example for other women who are wanting to get into cars or do something that's typically male dominated, it shouldn't stop people from trying to pursue their dreams. So whenever I see girls that are trying to pursue a trade, I always encourage them to try and stick with it and just push through all the sexism.”

Lexi’s wish list would include a brand-new Nissan GT-R, the Skyline’s descendant, in her driveway, but not as a replacement. In fact, she’ll be moving to Australia in the fall for a few years of living abroad, but she’ll keep the Skyline in her grandmother’s garage for when she returns. After all, you can never forget your first love.

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With our most advanced intelligent 4x4 system and seven Drive and Terrain Modes, Pathfinder is built for a whole new world of adventure.

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Return to Rugged.With our most advanced intelligent 4x4 system and seven Drive and Terrain Modes, Pathfinder is built for a whole new world of adventure.

Learn More

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Living the thrill

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